1
as in sources
a point or place at which something is invented or provided
the origins of human language remain a matter of considerable debate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in roots
the source from which something grows or develops
the origin of the tradition of giving presents at Christmastime
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in lineages
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended
they could trace their origins back 15 generations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of origins
While season 1 unveils the cult's origins and delves into the involvement of major key players (including Smallville actress Allison Mack, who, in July 2023, was released a year early from her three-year sentencing), season 2 shifts its focus to Raniere's court trial.
—
James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026
The group brought together different professions, generations, styles, and geographic origins.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 4 June 2026
Vast clouds of soot that form in the pressure cooker of mysterious mini-Neptune exoplanets may hold the truth about these worlds' origins.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 June 2026
That means many details of the cannons' origins remain a mystery.
—CBS News, 4 June 2026
The origins of the agreement are unclear.
—Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
The origins of his devotion to the field actually stem from his past life, much of which was unfortunately spent watching patients including his mother and father slowly slip away to their own respective diseases, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
—Matt Emma, USA Today, 3 June 2026
That, says Kesner, may be the origins of its reputation for causing weird dreams.
—Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 3 June 2026
Each knowledgeable waiter can explain the origins and ingredients of the dishes.
—Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026
The group brought together different professions, generations, styles, and geographic origins.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 4 June 2026
Vast clouds of soot that form in the pressure cooker of mysterious mini-Neptune exoplanets may hold the truth about these worlds' origins.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 June 2026
That means many details of the cannons' origins remain a mystery.
—CBS News, 4 June 2026
The origins of the agreement are unclear.
—Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
The origins of his devotion to the field actually stem from his past life, much of which was unfortunately spent watching patients including his mother and father slowly slip away to their own respective diseases, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
—Matt Emma, USA Today, 3 June 2026
That, says Kesner, may be the origins of its reputation for causing weird dreams.
—Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 3 June 2026
Each knowledgeable waiter can explain the origins and ingredients of the dishes.
—Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for origins
Noun
-
The coalition is urging the state to find new sources of funding for the work.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Authorities currently believe the woman shot the man and children before shooting herself, The LA Times reports, citing law enforcement sources.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The nonalcoholic Racine is designed entirely around roots—ginger, vetiver, turmeric, liquorice—while the Feuille cocktail focuses solely on leaves, blending mint, blue spirulina, blackcurrant bud, aloe vera, and patchouli.—
Lane Nieset,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
Evergreen is again hosting this student-run fest with some celebrity shine on its headliner, and a bevy of performers that reinforce Colorado’s identity as a roots-music haven.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Her fiction concentrates thematically upon the emotional and psychological currents traversing the bonds across lineages — whether those connections are well-wrought, addled, severed, or unknown — and the fraught business of familial inheritance.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
-
Crocodilian ancestors have persisted through mass extinctions, dramatic climate shifts and ecological upheavals that have eradicated countless other lineages.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
The simulations also tracked how matter moves through stellar cradles.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
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The best way to store a boat on land is to leave it on a trailer or place it on jack stands and cradles.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
Noun
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But its prediction-market bet shows how these platforms are beginning to outgrow their YOLO beginnings and could one day underpin big parts of traditional finance.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
4 June 2026
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Even the set for Simon’s modest apartment on Lexington Avenue evoked Cretton’s humble beginnings.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Eastern and western ancestries in Karelian Mesolithic dogs suggest that two lineages diverged during the Paleolithic.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
-
That drops to 49% for Hispanic/Latino patients, 29% for Black patients and even lower for mixed ancestries, the NMDP reports.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The candidates have performed in a way that embodies their entertainment pedigrees.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
6 June 2026
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And despite their noticeably different contract situations and pedigrees, the pair of new arrivals have worked together within the same position room over the past few weeks.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The seal texts often introduced the owners with their names, genealogies, gender, professions and hometowns.—
Serdar Yalçin,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
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Transcripts, grammars, vocabularies, dictionaries, glyph studies, botanical studies, commentaries, articles, editions of codices, correspondence, maps, charts, drawings, photographs, Maya Society materials, genealogies of Maya families, and Mayan glyphs on moveable type.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Origins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/origins. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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